Short Stories From Life — The Recoil of the Gun By Marian Parker

-------------------------------------------------------------------- THE RECOIL OF THE GUN

By Marian Parker Yes, I will tell you why I did it.

I can talk to you, because you are a gentleman.

You will understand.

Those others were horrible men, policemen.

They hustled me, they took me by the arm--me!

Did

you ever see a prison cell before?

I never did.

It's a queer place to receive you in, but that isn't my fault.

They won't let me out.

You wish to know why I killed my husband?

It does sound rather dreadful, doesn't it?

Though, you know, a woman might get angry--might throw something at a man.

But I wasn't angry.

It's not really hard to kill people.

Why, even now, here, alone with you--but they haven't left anything handy.

May you call in your friend from the corridor?

Yes, of course.

About my husband.

He was a very good man, very fond of me; a little tiresome, but I wouldn't have killed him for that.

People won't understand that I did it from the highest motives.

This is the reason.

It's very reasonable.

_I did it for the children.

_ Now you know.

He began to follow me about.

He began to watch me.

Even when I was alone he watched me.

He was suspicious.

That's a very bad sign.

I

know what it meant.

It was dreadful to know, but everything proved it.

He was going insane.

But no one else knew.

If I waited people would find out.

I had to think of the children, my little girls.

No one would have married them.

It's hereditary, you know.

So I shot him.

Your friend's a lawyer?

He will get me off?

They won't hang me?

I

knew they wouldn't if I explained.

What's that you said?

I heard!

To plead insanity.

_For me?

_ But he mustn't do that!

_The girls_--don't you see?

Why, you're crazy!

No one would marry them!

And I did it for them!

I did it for them!

-------------------------------------------------------------------- "MAN MAY LOVE"